Larks enter key series tonight
July 27, 2004
By The Hays Daily News
The Hays Larks will enter a crucial four-game homestand with Nevada, Mo., tonight at Larks Park.
The Larks are chasing the El Dorado Broncos for the championship of the summer collegiate baseball Jayhawk League.
The Broncos are 20-12 in the league and are done with league play, while the Larks are 16-11.
A game between Hays and Elkhart was halted after nine innings last week, leaving Hays one game short in the final league standings. So four wins this week would give the Larks their fourth consecutive league title.
The Larks are 2-2 this season against Nevada (26-19 overall).
Hays (24-12 overall) will begin the series with the Griffons in a single game today. Starting time for the nine-inning contest will be 7:30 p.m.
Admission is free, compliments of Drs. Kendall Krug and Stacy Jones, Optometrists, and Western Kansas Urological.
Nevada comes into Hays after splitting a four-game home series with Liberal over the weekend. Nevada is 12-16 in the league and chasing Elkhart (12-14) for the third-place spot, which usually gets a bid to the National Baseball Congress World Series.
Hays Medical Center’s Center for Health Improvement and Commerce Bank will sponsor Wednesday’s doubleheader with the Griffons, set to begin at 6 p.m. at Larks Park.
The Larks will complete the series — and their regular season — in Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. single game, which is being sponsored by Nex-Tech and Phaze 2.
The starting pitcher for tonight’s game will be right-hander Bob Reifschneider (3-2). Projected starters for Wednesday’s action are left-hander Josh Blake (1-3) and righty Jeff Mandel (2-4).
Following the series, Hays will begin preparation for the NBC World Series, set to begin Saturday in Wichita.
The Larks have had 10 top-10 finishes at the World Series, including three runner-up performances in 1995, 2000 and 2001. The Larks tied for fifth at last year’s World Series, giving them an automatic bid into this year’s season finale.